PESHAWAR – A local court on Saturday indicted the principal of aprivate school in Peshawar on charges of child abuse and pornography. Theaccused has been found guilty of taking advantage of minors, raping them,filming them and then blackmailing them – often with death threats.

Attaullah Marwat, who is apparently the owner of the private school aswell, allegedly took advantage of minors – both boys and girls – inside thepremises of the educational institute. It is also alleged that he sexuallyexploited students and then filmed them using his mobile and hidden camerasplaced all over the campus. Local police officials recovered 26 videos fromhis personal computer, according to a report in Pakistani newspaper Dawn.

Marwat had reportedly been carrying out his criminal act for several yearswith many fearing to report the principal because of death threats issuedby him. Law finally caught up with him when a boy mustered the courage toreport him at a police station last year and a case was registered againsthim on July 14 of 2017. The boy in his statement accused his principal oftrying to lure him into participating in sexual activities.

As a result of such charges against Marwat, his bail pleas have alreadybeen rejected by Peshawar High Court in the past.

Marwat though continues to claim innocence – admitting only that he broughtconsenting adults to the school for adultery. Police in an FIR, however,has said that two mobile phones were recovered from his house which hadobjectionable videos of boys from his school. The FIR further states thatMarwat turned child abuse and pornography into a hobby.

Recent months have seen anger against child abuse rising in Pakistan. Therape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Punjab province of the countryinfuriated people with protests demanding strict punishment for the accusedand tougher laws preventing crimes against women and children.